Spies, Pirates and J.M. – Crossbones

Was I in the brig last year and missed the memo on this one? NBC press release:

It’s 1715 on the Bahamian island of New Providence, the ﬁrst functioning democracy in the Americas, where the diabolical pirate Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard (John Malkovich—- stop let’s absorb that. John Malkovich!!!), reigns over a rogue nation of thieves, outlaws and miscreant sailors. Part shantytown and part marauder’s paradise, this is a place like no other on Earth – and a mounting threat to international commerce.

I know, you are saying Crossbones is a wimpy rip-off of Pirates…. but freaking John Malkovch… and here comes the twist…..

To gain control of this fearsome society, Tom Lowe, a highly skilled undercover assassin, (oh pirates and spies… you got me) is sent to the buccaneers’ haven to take down the brilliant and charismatic Blackbeard. But the closer Lowe gets, the more he ﬁnds that his quest is not so simple. Lowe can’t help but admire the political ideals of Blackbeard, whose thirst for knowledge knows no bounds – and no law.

But Lowe is not the only danger to Blackbeard’s rule. He is a man with many villainous rivals and one great weakness – a passionately driven woman whom he cannot deny.

From the award-winning creator of (psychological crime drama) Luther Neil Cross, and award-winning executive producers Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald (Gladiator, Men in Black) comes an extraordinary action adventure with an unexpected moral center where one can’t be sure whether the pirates or the British crown are the villains.

Love it when everybody wears a hat colored in shades of grey. Especially pirate hats.

Intel about Crossbones I discovered is that this was considered for Fridays at 10pm as a bookend to The BlacklistMondays at 10pm (get it Blacklist and Blackbeard….). Richard Coyle plays Tom Lowe; Coyle was last seen as Simon Fischer on Covert Affairs. And Neil Cross? He has written for covert themed shows on British TV the likes of Spooksand The Fixer, plus unearthly themed Whistle and I’ll Come to You, and oh something called Dr. Who.

No word yet on when/if it hits the schedule. Production began filming in Puerto Rico last October.